Shoulder-braces.



No. 851,070 PATENTED APR- 28, 1907, G. R. GRAW 5; 0. MILLER. SHOULDERBRAGES APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1906.

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GEORGE R. ORAW AND OTTO MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS- SHOULDER-BRACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed July 12, 1906. Serial No- 325,829.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, GEORGE E. CRAW I and Orro MILLER, both citizens ofthe United States, and residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulder-Braces, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to shoulder braces and particularly to those thatare provided with suspender ends and used as a garment supporter, andperform in addition to the correction of abnormal physical conditions,the same function as ordinary suspenders.

It is the object of our invention to provide a brace in which all localstrains are transmitted to a central point and from thence distributedequally throughout the straps and ends, and will readily yield and.adjust itself to different positions and movements This we accomplish bythe means hereinafter fully described and as more particularly pointedout in the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rear of one ofour improved braces. Fig. 2 is a detail view, drawn to a larger scale,showing the manner of coupling the ends of the shoulder loops.

Referring to the drawings A, A, represent suitable shoulder-loops, thatare preferably made of two sections of elastic webs that are joinedtogether by a suitable soft leather pad a that passes under the arms.The free ends of these webs pass around the shoulders of the wearer, andacross the back a short distance and terminate in suitable swiveledguides. Briefly, these guides comprise transversely elongated wire loopsh having clips 76 attached to the center of length thereof, and theseclips have stirrups B, pivotally connected to them, as shown. Passingthrough these stirrups B is a suitable endless cord C that connects anddraws the suspender ends of the elastic webbing toward one centralpoint. In order to keep the suspender ends and the cord C in properrelation to each other we provide a cross shaped equalizing plate D,that is located. in the space enclosed by this cord, and is, preferably,stamped out of sheet metal, and provided with four radially projectingarms or lobes d, d. The lowermost one of these lobes has secured to awire loop pivoted to it, a' vertically depending elastic back-strap E,

which latter has a suspender-end e, attached to the stirrup of the wireloop K on its pendent end, by means of which the rear of the garment issupported. The remaining lobes, that is the two side and upper lobes,are each provided with a swiveled or pivoted stirrup F, through whichcord C, between the stirrups B of the ends of the webbing forming theshoulder-loops passes and slides. All of these guide-stirrups B, B, andF, F, are made of such size that the cord C will pass freely' throughthe same, and the arrangement is .such that said cord is provided with alower horizontal portion that passes in front of the back-strap E ofwebbing. It will be seen that by the cooperation of these elements, whenone or more of the ends a of the shoulder-loops are pulled in onedirection or the other, the remaining webs will be drawn toward theequalizing plate D, and the strain of the movement distributed amongthem.

In order to properly support the garment at equi-distan't points aroundthe belt, suitable pendent webs G are secured to about the center oflength of each of the leather pads a,

and are provided at their lower ends with the ordinary suspender end 9made of cord or narrow webbing.

By the construction hereinbefore described, great freedom of movement isprovided for the wearer. The equalizing connections of the rear ends ofthe suspender-loops, and the relation of the other parts of the brace toeach other, is such, that the shoulder blades of the wearer are pressedin and the shoulders straightened and held firmly in their proper andhealthful position, and thus, without discomfort, cause the wearer tocarry himself erect.

What we claim as new is 1. A shoulder brace comprising substantiallycontinuous shoulder loops, suspender ends depending from said loopsmediate their ends, a pendent back strap and equal izing means to whichsaid back strap is directly connected and to which the ends of saidloops have a sliding connection independently of each other.

2. A shoulder brace comprising substantially continuous shoulder loops,suspender ends depending from said loops mediate their ends, a pendentback strap, means to which said. back strap is directly connected and anendless equalizing cord surrounding but connected at points throughoutits length to said means, and to which the ends of said shoulder loopsare connected.

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' 3. A shoulder brace com rising substantially continuous shoulder oops,suspender ends depending from said loops mediate their ends, a pendentbackstrap, a crossshaped plate to Which said back-strap is directlyconnected, an endless equalizing cord surrounding said plate, andslidingly engaging the ends of the three uppermost arms of said plate,and to which cord the ends of said shoulder loops are suitablyconnected.

4. A shoulder brace comprising substantially continuous shoulder loops,suspender .ends depending from said loops mediate their ends, stirrupspivotally connected to the ends of said loops, a pendent back-strap,

a cross-shaped plate to which said back-strap is directly connected andhaving stirrups connected to its three upper ,ends, an endlessequalizing cord surrounding said plate and slidingly engaging the stirrus mounted on the ends of said plate and t e ends of said i shoulderloops. 1 In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands and affixedour seals this 29 I day of June, A. D., 1906. 1 GEORGE R. CRAW. g OTTOMILLER. 1 Witnesses l FRANK D. THOMASON,

E. K. LUNDY.

[SEAL] [sun]

